DMXYear of the Dog Again

Earl Simmons (aka DMX) used to embody the dark demons alive in all of us. Drug addiction, repeated incarceration and a falling out with Def Jam (and Jay-Z) left the dog with his tail between his legs. Very little of Year of the Dog Again matches the intensity of his debut, Its Dark and Hell is Hot. "I Run Shit tries awful hard but loses thrust before its peak. Swizz Beatz handles four tracks, but dance floor ready ditties like "We In Here are a far cry from the rowdy, prison riot beats that caught the attention of DMXs hardcore audience. Like Lindsay Lohan before him, hes tired of addressing his questionable actions and lets the world know on the heavy metal-tinged "Wrong or Right (Im Tired), made more irritating by BZR Royales terrible verse. Scott Storch drops two beats, one of which ("GiveEm What They Want) is a welcome rehash of "Lean Back with DMX at his best. Sadly, hes more bark than bite these days. On wax, hes not the man he used to be, but he sticks to formula and for some thats good enough.
(Columbia)